


I Could Stand To See A Little More

by CookieDoughMe



Series: Tell Me [1]
Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: F/M, Multi, Post-Troubles (Haven), Reference to Temporary Major Character Death, Threegulls, Voyeurism, post-series(ish)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-31 22:39:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8596552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CookieDoughMe/pseuds/CookieDoughMe
Summary: In a post-Troubles, post-series(ish)* world, Nathan sees Duke and Audrey flirting and realises that, not only does he not mind, but actually, he quite likes the view. 
* It doesn’t necessarily matter too much, but if you’re interested in the little changes from canon I’m imagining to bring them all back together again, read this: Forever and a Day.
The title is a reference to a line from the film Serenity:Kaylee: Goin' on a year now I ain't had nothin' twixt my nethers weren't run on batteries!Mal: Oh, God! I can't know that!Jayne: I could stand to hear a little more.





	

The Gull had been open again for a week now, but it was still a novelty to see it surrounded by customers and their cars, rather than builders’ vans and scaffolding. Nathan parked up and went inside, looking for his girlfriend and/or the owner as he walked through the crowd.

He saw both of them as he reached the end of the bar. They were stood outside, leaning on the railing looking out to sea. Except actually, they were looking at each other; gazing, grinning, staring at each other really. It was obvious in an instant that they were flirting. Duke was half-leaning on the railing, bringing him down almost to Audrey’s height and she faced him with her arm stretched out along the railing towards him.

Nathan stopped at the sight, but not really out of surprise; he’d long known they had feelings for each other after all. And once, it would have made him angry to see them look at each other like that, laughing at another joke as they held each other’s gaze and Audrey’s fingers found Duke’s arm. Once, it would have made him jealous; afraid that he would lose Audrey and afraid in some sense that he would lose Duke too.

But he stopped still when he saw them, thinking hard because now was not then, and now it felt different. As he saw them move just a little bit closer to each other, he realised the jealousy was long gone and the anger with it, because he understood. He understood both of them and he knew, as sure as he knew anything, that the three of them were tied together forever. Not even death had been able to take them away from him and nothing ever would.

And in the absence of fear, and without the jealousy, Nathan saw Duke grin and he had to acknowledge the real reason he’d stopped from interrupting them.

“What can I get you?” asked Nora from behind the bar, jarring him back to the world outside their little trio. Startled from his thoughts, it took him a minute to respond. “Beer,” he said at last. “Wait, make that three.”

In one sense, he could have stayed where he was and watched them all night. But he would be noticed eventually and it was perhaps unfair to stand in the shadows and watch without them knowing.

-

As Nathan walked out onto the deck, Duke reached up to tuck a strand of Audrey’s hair behind her ear. They were so engrossed in each other, they almost didn’t see him. But when Duke turned around and saw Nathan standing there, he snapped his hand back like he’d been burnt.

Nathan made a point of smiling at Audrey as he handed her a bottle. “You flirting with my girl?” he asked Duke, offering him the third beer.

“Sorry, I .. sorry. Shit,” said Duke all at once.

“Calm down, you idiot,” said Nathan affectionately. “Didn’t say I minded.”

He had nearly lost both of them. Or rather, he had lost both of them and it had nearly been forever. He had known for a long time he might lose Audrey, but he hadn’t been prepared to lose Duke like that. They may have fought with each other in the past, they may have disagreed often about how best to respond to the Trouble or disaster of the day, but in the end they had fought on the same side and he knew Duke had been just as glad as him to see Audrey again when they’d thought they never would. And he had been just as glad as her to see Duke OK.

“How can you not mind someone ‘flirting with your girl’?” asked Duke, confused and a little wary.

“Well, for one thing, because I trust her. But also, we weren’t talking about some random person, we were talking about you.”

“And that makes it better?” asked Duke, more confused still.

“Of course that makes it better. I know what you two mean to each other; I get it.”

“But …”

“I saw you from the bar; saw how you were looking at each other. People would expect me to be jealous i know, but; I wasn’t. I’m not. I only came over because it felt a bit creepy to stand there watching without you knowing.”

Audrey was smiling at him, but Duke coughed, “You’re saying you’d happily watch me flirt with Audrey?”

Nathan nodded. “Not just flirt, to be honest.”

Duke stared at him, as Audrey said, “You’re saying you’d happily watch me and Duke … together.”

He nodded again.

Duke laughed as if he didn’t believe him and Nathan shrugged.

“We’ve always been connected somehow, the three of us,” Nathan added. “What’s the point in being jealous of something I’m so closely tied to? It’s nice to see you both smiling and relaxed and the way you look at each other sometimes, is very .... distracting.”

“Distracting enough that you would happily watch us follow through on a bit of random flirting on a Sunday afternoon?” asked Duke, incredulous.

“It's not ‘random’ though, is it? That’s my whole point. So it’s up to you two of course; but yes, I would.”

Audrey watched him closely and he shrugged in the face of her gaze, “Just a suggestion,” he said easily.

“I’m just trying to make sure you’re saying it because you want to, and not because you feel you have to. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m not going anywhere; you know that, right?”

“I do know that,” Nathan assured her. “That’s the point; that’s why I don’t mind. I’m not saying it out of worry. I’m saying it out of … interest.”

Apparently satisfied, Audrey smiled at him and they both turned to Duke.

“You’re serious?” he said. “Wait … now?”

“Only if you want,” said Audrey and took a swig of her beer.

“If this is some kind of elaborate joke, I …”

“Duke,” said Audrey, in an I-wouldn’t-do-that-to-you tone of voice.

He hesitated for a just a moment more. “Technically I’m working right now. I’ll go check in with Nora if she’s alright to take care of things until Dan gets here,” and he turned towards the bar. “Don’t go anywhere,” he added.

Nathan took his place at the railing and looked at Audrey, struggling a little to read her expression. “Maybe we should have had this conversation ourselves first,” he offered. “It’s just … it did only just occur to me and somehow I couldn’t not say anything.”

“You ever do anything like it before?” she asked.

“No. You?”

“No. Well, Lexie has some stories …”

“Yeah?”

Audrey shook her head, “Another time,” she said with a smile.

And then Duke was back. “Did you come to your senses or are we going upstairs?”

“Those are not mutually contradictory options,” said Nathan.

“I think we’re going upstairs,” said Audrey.

“You’re settled back in OK right?” Duke asked.

“All unpacked,” agreed Audrey.

“Come on,” said Nathan and led the way around the side of the building and upstairs to Audrey’s apartment, battered during the Troubles and only recently accessible again with the removal of the scaffolding.

-

“I’ll just be a minute,” said Audrey, walking off towards the bathroom. “Help yourselves to drinks.”

Nathan watched Duke down a shot of whiskey. “You’re nervous,” he said, surprised.

“I just haven’t quite shaken off the feeling this is some kind of practical joke,” said Duke.

“Not my style,” replied Nathan.

Duke turned to look at him, considering this. “No,” he agreed. “I suppose not.”

Audrey walked past Nathan, running a hand down his back as she did so, and came to stand by Duke, finishing his second shot of whiskey for him and resting a hand on his arm again.

“So look, if he changes his mind, we stop.”

“Sure,” Duke replied easily.

“If you want us to stop, say so,” she said to Nathan behind her.

Nathan nodded, somehow managing to express not only an acknowledgement, but his doubt that this would be necessary. Audrey put down the empty whiskey glass and moved a little closer to Duke.

“Same for you, you know,” noted Duke.

“Well, you too,” replied Audrey.

“I really don’t think that’s likely,” said Duke and she turned her face to kiss him, standing on tiptoes to reach. And as they kissed, he brought both hands to her jaw, just like he she’d known he would, just like he had the last time they had got to this point. She kissed him and he kissed back.

And this time, she didn’t stop.

-

For a long time they just kissed. Audrey felt his goatee against her lips and his hands on her neck and in her hair. She felt too, his constantly moving body, shifting this way and that, as his tongue moved against hers and his hands moved all over her. She wondered for a moment whether this was something done for himself, for her, or to create a good view for Nathan. But as she wrapped her arms around Duke’s waist and pulled their bodies tighter together, she heard the softest little sigh from Nathan behind her and realised the answer to that didn’t matter. Or rather, that there was perhaps no such distinction in any case. And then Duke moved his kisses to her neck and her own little sigh left her and she saw the whole thing for a moment from Nathan's point of view, and thought she understood.

Nathan leant against the pillar as he watched them kiss. Audrey’s hair falling in front of Duke’s face, Duke’s strong hands on her back. They were engrossed in each other, but somehow he knew they were aware of his presence too. They kissed slow and deep, mouths moving over each other as hands caressed bodies and he watched their breathing change. There was a small part of his brain marvelling at his own impulsiveness; the real way this was unlike him was simply in the sense that he’d given it no thought beforehand. But as he watched Audrey pull Duke closer to her, he felt the view doing pleasant things to the pit of his stomach and he was glad he hadn’t stopped to talk himself out of it.

Duke moved his hands up under Audrey’s top as she reached for the buttons of his shirt, very aware of Nathan stood behind her. And as she closed her eyes at the warmth of Duke’s hand on the skin of her back, she could feel Nathan’s gaze on her skin too. As Duke’s lips brushed her collarbone and she took a deep breath in (smelling his skin and his cologne and something else she couldn’t place), as she pressed her hands to his chest and felt his muscles move beneath his skin; as she did all of these things and more she drank in the warm, physical presence of Duke Crocker, here and alive and well and hers - theirs - and she did it all with the feeling of Nathan’s eyes on her, soaking up the sight of both of them as they moved.

They were stood by the sofa and as they undid, reached under and pulled at more and more of each other’s clothing Audrey felt the need for a change of location. She turned around to see Nathan leant against the pillar, looking cool with his hands in his pockets and a somehow serious little grin on his face. She caught his eye as she led Duke across her apartment, noting with interest that he caught Duke’s gaze too, as Duke let himself be easily led towards the bed by the light touch of Audrey’s fingers on his wrist.

Nathan watched them move, watched them kiss as they stopped by the bed, watched them push each other apart to pull at their remaining clothes, even as they held as tightly to each other as they could. In the first few days (and nights) after Audrey had come back to him, he hadn’t wanted to let her go, not for a minute. And he hadn’t wanted to be out of contact with Duke for long either, wanting to make sure he really was OK. And here was the same feeling between the two of them, on show for him to see; stay with me, hold me, I love you, I need you, never let me go.

Duke pulled Audrey’s bra straps over her shoulders, half expecting to hear an objection from Nathan, but none came. He ran his hand down her ribs, over her hip and under the waistband of her open jeans, waiting all the while for the other man to say something, cough, get their attention somehow to stop them, but he didn’t. Before long, their clothes had all found the floor and all he’d heard from Nathan were echoes of Audrey’s pleased little gasps at his touch and he realised that perhaps he was worrying too much.

Audrey pulled Duke down onto the bed next to her and ran her hands over his chest, his arms, his back. She could see Nathan out of the corner of her eye and turned to watch him watching them, finding herself entranced by his expression, just as he was entranced by them. He was sat on the chair by the wall now and he’d taken off his sweater. It was warm in here (well, she had cranked up the heating on the way in) and he looked good in a tight fitting white tshirt that he probably thought of as underwear. He had taken off his shoes too and he sat with one leg crossed over the other, hands resting on the arms of the chair, looking relaxed and comfortable and thoroughly fascinated. And then as Duke kissed along her collarbone and down to her breast she closed her eyes to the sensations instead.

Duke ran a tongue over her nipple, drank in her reaction and did it again. He ran a thumb over the other while he kissed the first; kissed and licked and squeezed and stroked and felt his breath quicken a little with every moan and gasp he heard from her. He kissed between her breasts and traced a line of kisses down between her ribs, down her stomach, to her belly button, his hands moving down her body to her hips. He moved across the bed, shifting off the side of it to kneel on the floor and then gently pulled Audrey’s hips a little way with him, so that she was on the very edge of the bed, her feet on the floor and her knees either side of his shoulders. She moved easily with him, flexing her hips so her knees moved a little wider and her pelvis shifted up into his hands just a little.

Without turning around, Duke asked “You alright over there Nate?”

“Yup,” came the quick reply.

Nathan, sat level with the end of the bed, was behind Duke but enough to the side that he would have a great view as Duke went down on Audrey. He appreciated Duke checking in with him, but he was kind of amused too; there was no way in hell he wanted Duke to stop. As he shifted a little on the chair (sometimes surprised still by the relative novelty of small distinctions between uncomfortable and comfortable) he was intimately aware of every inch of fabric touching his skin and never more glad that the Troubles were gone.

Duke kissed along the inside of Audrey’s thigh, moving slowly up towards her body; such soft, soft skin. He’d smelt her shampoo and her perfume earlier, but not any longer; it was just her skin now, it was all her. He moved a little closer to her and pressed his lips to hers, running his tongue from her cunt to her clit. He heard her reaction echoed in Nathan’s behind him and felt his own heart miss a beat. To touch one person and have two react; it amplified everything. He ran his tongue from cunt up to clit again and then kissed his way back down, pushing his tongue slowly inside her and feeling her push her hips up into his touch.

Audrey felt Duke’s tongue inside her and Nathan’s eyes on her skin as she stretched back on the bed and tangled her hands in the sheets. Duke kissed and licked and pushed and flicked, she felt his lips on hers, his tongue run over the folds of her skin and press against her clit. Gentle and soft; insistent and warm; she heard herself moan and no longer cared how she sounded. He teased her, moving away a little and then back again just soon enough and she pushed her feet into the side of the bed, moving her body a little closer to him still.

Audrey opened her eyes to look at Nathan again, and found him watching not her any longer, but Duke; trailing his eyes down Duke’s back, taking in the movements of those long lean muscles, as Duke reached a hand up along Audrey’s stomach. When Nathan followed that movement his eyes found hers again and he held her gaze as she gasped and moaned at what Duke was doing to her. She saw Nathan’s already ragged breathing hitch some more in response to each moan and movement she made and she held his gaze, drank in his eyes, savoured that moment.

And then Duke’s ceaselessly moving tongue paused, moved away from her just a little, so that she felt his warmth still, his mouth still there, close but not enough, the connected feeling gone and her breath caught as her hips moved trying to find him again, her whole body tingling.  
And he waited just a moment longer than she thought he would before his tongue pressed against her clit again and the jolt of sensation was enough to make her cry out as she came, watching Nathan all the while.

-

Duke left a sloppy wet kiss on her thigh and wiped his mouth on his hand. Shuffling her shoulders across the bed a little, Audrey reached for the draw in the bedside cabinet. As she felt around inside, she saw that Nathan knew what she was looking for and she saw his breath catch a little at the thought. Audrey handed a condom to Duke, “Fuck me now.”

He took it from her and hesitated, watching her as he listened for a reaction from the other man behind him.

“If you want,” Audrey added reasonably.

“If I want?” Duke echoed in disbelief, and tore the condom open. He put it on knelt where he was, as Audrey moved back onto the bed a little and he soon followed her, kissing his way back up her body and then moving above her and inside of her, listening to three little moans from three different people as he did so.

They watched each other’s faces as his cock moved inside her cunt, muscles still clamping down on the remains of her orgasm. He moved slowly inside her and she pulled him ever closer to him, tipping her hips up to meet his. Nathan watched as Duke kissed her, a deep, soft kiss that matched the long, smooth movements of his hips. And he watched Audrey push herself up towards him and wrap her arms ever tighter around Duke’s back, trying to pull him closer to her than it was possible to be.

She pulled back from their kiss to say something, but she didn’t get the chance. She only got as far as locking eyes with Duke before they heard Nathan speak instead, “Fuck her hard.”

And Duke saw her eyes go wide in response as she gasped and changed her mind about speaking, kissing him again and wrapping her legs tight around him as she moaned in something like pleasure and something like frustration.

He felt himself pulled towards her as she shifted her hips to somehow open herself up to him even more. That look in her eye sticking with him and Nathan’s words echoing in his head, Duke found himself obeying without question, shifting on his hands to look down at her as he moved quicker, harder, faster; short thrusts against her to which she responded with a sound unlike any he had heard from her so far; low and deep and something utterly content.

He could see Nathan, just visible in the corner of his eye from this angle, so that without turning to look, he could see him watching them (well of course he was). But he could see too, that while Nathan watched Audrey plenty, his eyes were darting over Duke enough too, and not just where his body met Audrey’s, but across his chest, his shoulders, his face as well. Duke closed his eyes and could almost feel Nathan’s gaze on him as he moved, and so in the end it was not the sounds that Audrey made that sent him over the edge to orgasm, but a little moan that came drifting across to him from the chair at the edge of the room.

-

Duke put the condom in the bin by the side of the bed and turned back towards Audrey, lying on his side, his head propped up on one arm to look at Nathan.

“Wuornos,” she said. “Come here,” shifting across the bed a little to make room for him.

He pulled his tshirt over his head as he stood and then lay down next to her in his jeans, feeling the warmth of the sheets underneath him where she had been lying a moment before.

“So watching is fun then, huh? You want to feel something too?” she asked as she ran a hand over his chest and down his stomach. “Don’t move, don’t do anything. Just watch me. Watch me and feel me.”

She sat up to straddle him and unzip his jeans and then moved again to pull them down his legs, taking his underwear at the same time. As she made her way back to him, she took another condom from the draw, raising her eyebrows to him in a question as she settled back in place above him.

What could he say but “Yes please”? She put it on him and moved to kiss him, her breasts brushing his chest before she moved their hips together and took his cock inside of her. He moaned at the feeling of her surrounding him, wondering distantly whether it should feel more odd than it did that Duke was watching them from only inches away, or that Duke had been doing this exact same thing a moment ago. But these thoughts didn’t last long; washed away in a sensation of feeling as Audrey ran her hands over him and moved her hips around him. He watched her above him and part of him wanted to close his eyes to the feel of her skin, but he held them open all the same, feeling his heart and his breath respond as he gasped and moaned and felt his blood pump hard through his veins.

Intoxicating though it was watching Audrey, she wasn’t the whole story and he turned his head towards Duke, who was watching them intently from the other side of the bed. Nathan held his gaze for a long moment, then reached out his hand in a quick movement to grab Duke’s, squeezing their fingers together hard. Duke squeezed back, and in that moment Nathan closed his eyes at last and arched his head back against the bed as he came.

-

Audrey lay in the middle of the bed, Duke on one side with his hand on her hip, Nathan on the other with an arm across her stomach. “That worked out well then,” she said, content and sleepy. But Duke didn’t lay there long before he started to get up.

Audrey reached for him, “Where are you off to?”

“I’ll leave you two to snuggle.”

“Snuggle with us,” she replied.

Duke hesitated, looking at Nathan who seemed fast asleep already. Audrey was about to speak again when Nathan cracked open an eye, “Get back in bed, you idiot,” he said with enough affection in his voice that Duke did just that. As he settled himself next to Audrey again, he rested his arm a little higher across her body this time; close enough that his skin just touched Nathan’s, subtle enough that Nathan would hardly have to move a muscle to break the contact. Duke lay there and felt the warmth of both of them, happy to find that Nathan left his arm exactly where it was.

**Author's Note:**

> In my head, Nathan during a lot of this is looking something like this: <https://www.instagram.com/p/BK4XLj8jfSo/>


End file.
